Acerbus
by Wendy McCalister
Summary: One-shot. Latin for darkness. They say your dreams could come true. But they never said anything about nightmares coming to life. AU, KB pairing. Darkfic. Warning: Character death. If you don't like that kind of thing then I suggest you skip this.


**Disclaimer: **Yu Yu Hakusho's owner is Yoshihiro Togashi. Not me.

**Warning: **Character death.

**Acerbus**

"_If dreams can come true... doesn't that mean nightmares can, too?"_

She has dreamt of him dying once.

But you cannot call a dream where your lover dies in it, a 'dream'. It is a nightmare. But that nightmare she had was nothing compared to this. He died in a car crash in that nightmare of hers.

Not this. This did not happen. This should not have happen.

Botan stood there, pure shock written all over her face as Kurama fell to the ground, a small circle of blood on the side of his forehead. _No! _Her mind screamed. Kurama's body landed on the cold, hard ground with a loud thud, as she, along with Hiei and Yusuke all stood around him and Karasu.

Karasu smirked, before a relieved look went across his face and he sighed.

"I told you I'd kill him."

If she knew her ex-lover was going to this, she would have murdered that rotten man with her own two hands before he could even get to Kurama. But it has happened. And what has happened could not be changed.

This is reality.

This is the true nightmare.

_Botan jerked up the bed, her amethyst eyes wide in fear and apprehension, and her night gown soaked with sweat. It took her a full second to realize that everything was a dream. It was all just a dream. _

_She blinked a couple of times, and stared off into space with a blank face. She felt a twitch at her hand, and she looked down to see another hand covering hers. Well, that is strange. That wasn't her hand. She nearly panicked, thinking an intruder had entered her room and was about to yell until a familiar voice sounded._

"_Botan, don't be afraid. Calm down."_

_Her eyes darted upwards and upon seeing her lover's face, she convinced herself to calm down and fixed a smile at him. "You almost gave me a heart attack."_

_A low chuckle erupted from Kurama's chest. "I am sorry for surprising you. Did you get a good sleep?" he asked her, his other hand reaching out to play with a few strands of sky blue hair._

_Her smile felled. "No, not really," she answered, her face drained of colour as she thought of her dream. _

_His own smile vanished into thin air and he stood up from the chair he was sitting. He flopped down the bed to sit beside her. "Is there something wrong?" Worriedly, he inquired. His right arm wrapped around her petite form._

"_I... had a dream."_

_A crease was now embedded on his forehead. "What dream?"_

_She was unresponsive._

_He noticed this, his eyes looking deep into hers as his frown deepened. His concern over her mounting as more time passed. The longer she was silent, the deeper his gaze grew. After a while, he could not stand it anymore. "Botan, what did you dream about?" he asked again, his voice gentle, yet stern at the same time._

_A few seconds passed, until her eyes started to glisten. Kurama almost lost his usual composure at the sight of his lover crying. It was so sudden. "Shh, shh..." he whispered soothingly into her ear when she wrapped her arms around his neck, and patted her small back. _

_He waited for her to calm down. And when she did, she mumbled, "Y-you died..."_

"_What?" the question left his lips by accident. He pulled away and stared at her teary face with a look of shock on his own features. If he had to be honest, he would say he clearly did not expect that. _

"_I-I saw you died in my dream. A car hit you..." She unwrapped her hands from his neck, and gazed down to her hands, avoiding his scrutinizing gaze. _

"_Botan," he whispered. Softly, he cupped her cheek, his thumb drawing small circles on the skin. This caused her to look up again at him. He gave her a comforting smile. "Do not fret, sweetheart. It is just a dream, alright? Nothing more, nothing less."_

"_B-but..." A finger came to rest on her lips, and whatever it was she was about to say was immediately silenced._

"_Stop thinking about it. Just go back to sleep," he demanded in a soft voice. He stood up from the bed and was about to leave so she could get some rest when a hand tugged at his sleeve. He peered down at her, his lips parted to say something but she cut him off._

"_Don't go," Botan pleaded._

"_Botan, it is midnight. You should get some sleep," he replied. _

"_I don't want to sleep. I've slept enough already," she told him, a small smile teasing her lips as she watched him sit down on the bed again._

"_Stubborn little girl," Kurama said in a scolding manner and gave her a gentle flick on the forehead. She pouted but then smiled again only to frown when he added, "Go to sleep."_

"_I told you, I don't want to."_

_He seemed to give up trying to get her back to sleep. Heaving out a heavy sigh, the redhead shook his head disapprovingly and asked, "What do you suppose we should do then?"_

"_Well, we could..." She smirked, her eyes dancing with mischief._

_He arched an eyebrow. It didn't take him long to catch on the meaning behind her words. "No, if we do that, then we would not get any sleep tonight. I will play along with your stubbornness just for a while, but I will go back to my apartment soon." Although the idea did sound tempting, he prioritized her rest – and his own – at the moment._

"_You told me yourself, it's midnight. Don't you think it's not safe to be wandering around at this time of night?" she tested._

"_I am a man, Botan. I do not need to worry about getting raped, if that is what you are referring to."_

"_You're quite girlish, if you haven't notice."_

"_Sweetheart, don't you even dare go there..." Kurama half-threatened, but Botan only giggled in response. She knew how much he did not like people talking about how much he almost looked like a woman._

"_So, we'll do it then?" she replied, her voice dripping with eagerness. Wrapping her arms around his neck again, she pulled him close to her, his lips only a mere inch from hers. This elicited a groan from the redhead._

"_Botan, it's not like I don't want to, but you need—"_

_He didn't manage to finish. "No, I need you. In various ways, not just physically, you pervert, but emotionally, too."_

"_Botan..."_

"_Kurama!" she almost yelled. "It's not fair, I thought you were dead and I missed you. I want to make sure you're real."_

_He raised one eyebrow at her, his emerald eyes dark with desire. A light smirk lingered at the corners of his mouth, his usually sweet, polite voice now deep and husky with lust as he asked, "By sleeping with me?"_

"_Yes, exactly."_

"_Alright, if that is what you want," he said, even though he, too, wanted her at the time. And he let her, as she pulled them both to the bed with him on top._

"Put your hands where I can see them, now!" one of the police officers yelled as more drove up and got out of their vehicles. "Everyone, get down!" he yelled again.

Hiei and Yusuke looked at each other, not entirely sure what to do. They turned and looked at Botan, seeing her run to Kurama's lifeless body and pick up his gun.

Yusuke's brown eyes widened. "Oh, shit..."

"_Karasu, what are you doing here?" Kurama's gaze was cold as he looked at the man. Botan hid herself behind his back._

_Karasu let out a dark chuckle. "Relax, Kurama. I am not going to do anything. Not yet anyway."_

_Emerald eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"_

"_I want to have a duel. Just you and me, redhead. The winner gets the girl."_

"_How dare you, Karasu! I'm not some prize you can just—" Botan was silenced when Kurama gave her a stern look to be quiet. She bit her lip, wanting to say something at Karasu, but she complied nonetheless._

_Kurama looked back at Karasu. "Fine, if that what it takes to get you to leave her alone, then I agree," he said, and Botan couldn't help but feel as if something bad was going to happen to him._

_. . ._

"_Kurama, are you sure you want to go?"_

"_Yes, I am sure. I will be alright. Do not worry. I will be back soon, okay? Wait for me." _

"_But, what if you get hurt? I don't want that."_

"_It does not matter if I get injured, I will do anything to keep you safe. Just stay here and wait for me." _

_He looked at her and saw that she was still sporting that worried look on her face. He smiled and then added, "Call Hiei and Yusuke, tell them to come help me if you are really afraid of something terrible happening to me."_

_She nodded her head hesitantly._

_He grabbed his gun that his step-father had given him a long time ago and gave her a long, passionate kiss, as if it was the last time he would ever get to taste her lips again._

It was the last time.

The last time he kissed her when he was still alive.

But now he is not. He is no longer breathing. His locks of hair fanned around the ground, the blood matching the colour of his red mane. His face pale, and his eyes shut close. She would never get to see those emeralds again. She would never get to touch those lips again. For he is gone. His smile, his touch, his warmth... Everything is gone now.

"You idiot, you'll end up in jail if you do that!" Hiei shouted at her. She ignored him and pointed the gun at Karasu.

"Do you even know how to use that thing?" he taunted, completely confident that she did not have the courage to actually do it. She has always hated Karasu, she hates the way he speak most of all.

_I'll shut him up forever. _She smiled bitterly to herself.

If only she had stopped him from agreeing.

If only she had stopped him from going.

Then maybe he would still be alive. She blamed Karasu for Kurama's death, but above everyone else, she blamed herself. For not preventing this tragedy from happening when she could have done that.

A shot rang out, and Karasu's body fell to the ground. She only spared it one look before looking back at her lifeless lover. She did not regret this. No, she did not feel even the slightest guilt about killing Karasu. The only guilt she would ever feel is letting Kurama die like this.

She smiled weakly, a few tears streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry... I'll see you soon..."

Wherever they would go, heaven or hell, it would not matter. She would meet Kurama again. She knew even in death, nothing could tear them apart. Why should she stay on living when Kurama was clearly waiting for her at the other side? Bending down, Botan pressed her own lips against his bloodied ones.

_This will not be the last time, I promise you, Kurama._

"_Come on, Botan. It is time to go," Kurama said, holding out his hand._

"Okay," she blurted out.

"Who's she talking to?" she heard someone ask.

"Beats me, you think she's losing it?" another voice added.

She paid no attention to the voices around her and slowly, brought the gun to her head.

"No, Botan! Don't!" She did not know whether that came from Hiei or Yusuke, nor did she care. She turned to them, giving them one last smile and then, closed her eyes.

"Botan, stop!"

But it was too late.

She shot.

The last thing she felt was the excruciating pain of the bullet spiralling through her head and she fell.

* * *

><p>"Kurama?"<p>

"I am here."

"This doesn't look like hell."

"We are not allowed there."

"Heaven?"

"Not there, either."

"I don't understand..."

"I was supposed to go to heaven, but I said no because you killed yourself, and the man was about to put you in hell. I asked him not to do that, and he said he needed to, but I told him if he was going to send you to hell, then he might as well send me there, too. I suppose I was being too stubborn, so he said and I quote, he will give us more time to travel around the world, and then he will judge us again."

"What if we have to go to hell?"

"Then, I will be there with you. I told you before, right? We will always be together."

Botan laughed. "So where should we go first?"

"I think I have a place in mind," Kurama said, walking over to a set of doors and opening one. "He let me look around while I waited for you."

Botan peeked in and her jaw dropped. "Is this what I think it is?" she asked.

Kurama nodded and smiled. "What are you waiting for?"

Botan ran through the door without further question and Kurama followed behind her, chuckling to himself.


End file.
